Where Do Broken Hearts Go
by WhiteRosestoRed
Summary: After Jane Potter's tragic event at the end of 6th year she must learn how to breathe and be happy again. With a little help of Liam Evans, this just might be possible. AU Genderswap.
1. SORRY

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time, I have actually been editing my story, and will be changing the format a little bit. I will be deleting chapters and replacing them with the new ones, the first update will be Friday, so don't be afraid when most of the story disappears.


	2. CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1

Her long black hair was tangled once again; she sighed tiredly. As it happened, this was a common occurrence in her life, as her hair was a wild mess that could only be untangled with the proper treatment or proper spells, and she usually preferred taking the spell route. Her beautiful hazel eyes, which were hidden behind a pair of stylish glasses, scanned the room hoping to catch her best friend's, Stella's, eye.

Instead of catching the Black heiress' eye, she had caught Rema's. Jane flashed the werewolf her famous big doe eyes, hoping the prefect would solve her problem. Normally Jane would have woken up in the morning, and the first thing she would have done was style her hair. However, that morning she had woken up extremely late, changed her clothes and ran out of her dorm, forgetting her wand, a capital sin if there ever was one.

Rema sighed exasperatedly but agreed to her friend's request. You should never ask a Mauradette how they communicated, it should never even be questioned, and in Jane and Rema's case, they had been friends since their first year at Hogwarts. After almost six years together they no longer needed many words to communicate.

Jane beamed at the brown eyed girl in gratitude; Rema shook her head in disbelief, a small smile playing on her lips. Finally, Rema took out her wand and murmured the spells she had heard Jane repeat every morning since they first met. As soon as the spell left her lips her friend's tangled hair turned into perfectly arranged curls.

"Miss Potter! Perhaps instead of using magic, in a muggle studies class, too I might add, you could use a hairbrush or since you seem to be very fond of you curls, a curling iron?" the muggle studies professor inquired.

Jane looked nearly scandalized, but schooled her features into a calm collected mask, and replied, "I would Professor Fawley, however you taught us that, unfortunately, these baubles require that electri-thingy, which doesn't function in the castle," she finished with a frown.

Evans, who was sitting in front of her, snorted; he believed that her excuse was complete and utter bull. As much as he wanted to rebel against it a bemused smile appeared on his face as he rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, a certain greasy haired Slytherin had caught that smile and was not happy about it.

"Only the curling iron would be impaired within the castle, and I'm sure you own a hairbrush," Professor Fawley speculated.

She stood in front of the classroom, eyes narrowed, and expression pinched. She didn't seem too happy to have been undermined by a student, a deed that occurred quite often. At least this would be the last year she had the Gryffindor Princess, as rumour had it Jane would no longer be taking the class next year, choosing to instead focus on the fundamental courses that would help her with her career, _whatever that may be_.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Professor, her hair always looks like a mess," said Severa Snape, a sneer on her pale face. Taking pride in wounding the girl's ego, Severa was only happy when others were miserable, except for Lyle. She only ever wanted Lyle to be happy, _with me, _her mind treacherously added.

The muggle studies professor frowned, but didn't reprimand the Slytherin for her comment, as she was one of the few professors, (most likely the only), who did not like Jane Potter and found the girl to be too much like her mother. Andora Fawley had actually been in the same year in Hogwarts as Jane's mother, Euphemia Potter, and their relationship could only be likened to the one between Jane and Severa.

Jane bit the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest not to insult the Slytherin back, however, the pale girl made it difficult not to quarrel with her.

"Although, it never looks as bad as yours, Severa," replied Stella, haughtily.

Ever the drama queen, the silver eyed girl finished her comment by flipping her own beautiful black hair over her shoulder. She was always the first to come to Jane's defense; she was the only one who was allowed to insult Jane, and only playfully at that.

Jane sighed, she knew that in order to be friends with Lyle she had to stop insulting Severa, and as much as she reigned herself in, she couldn't stop her friends from making their own comments. However, that didn't stop her from hoping she might, at some point, have a friendship with the male Gryffindor prefect. Although she tried to abstain from associating herself with Severa, sometimes the Slytherin would not stay in her own lane and liked to cause trouble.

Professor Fawley ignored the exchange and continued to teach her class. Not long after the altercation the class was dismissed. Severa was the first to flee the classroom, head bowed in shame and cheeks flaming. Lyle followed soon after, hoping to catch up with his friend, and perhaps comfort her. The rest of the class trickled out, leaving only the four girls known as the Mauradettes behind.

Jane just shook her head in disappointment when Stella approached, flashing her a look of annoyance.

"Oh what? You used to enjoy it when we teased Severa, what's wrong now?" Stella said irritated with her friend's behaviour.

It was all nice and good that Jane wanted to befriend Lyle, but she shouldn't have to change who she was just to get his attention. Stella, in fact, quite disliked Lyle, and would have preferred it if the pair stayed far away from one another, as it would be less of a mess to deal with.

Jane just shook her head.

"Nothing," she murmured trying to keep the peace, and forget the interaction, instead choosing to focus on a different topic. "Blimey I'm starved," complained the Potter girl, walking with Rema, Stella, and Petra towards the dungeons for double potions with Slughorn and the Slytherins.

"I reckon you should wake up earlier if you want to have enough time to eat breakfast and tame your hair," Rema quipped, not knowing she had struck a cord with her friend.

Jane was not one to look unkempt, she may have been a tad bit irresponsible and forgettable, but she took pride in her appearance. She quite liked looking nice and somewhat put together. The hazel eyed troublemaker glared at her wolfy friend.

"Sorry I had to stay up late last night to cover your furry arse, while the two of you were stuck in detention, but don't worry, it won't happen again," Jane stomped away from the other Mauradettes, who were standing frozen in shock over their friend's statement.

It seemed that lately, anything set Jane off, she was either depressed or angry, and none of the Mauradettes could figure out why. Stella narrowed her eyes at Jane's back, suspicious of her behaviour, this wasn't like her, Jane was usually a ray of sunshine, happiness, and mischief. She was intelligent, with a knack for outlandish, complicated pranks that brought a smile to everyone's face, and were usually done in good jest.

Rema looked down, feeling guilty. She understood the sacrifices her friends made for her, and every day she was grateful that they hadn't abandoned her when they learned her secret. She knew being friends with a werewolf must not have been easy, especially during the fun moon, but Jane was always great at handling it, making sure Rema had enough chocolate and was as comfortable as could be expected.

Petra's mind, however, was on lunch, and she wondered if they would be serving treacle tart - it was her favourite after all. The shortest Mauradette had a knack for obliviousness, most negative comments rolled off her back. She attempted being positive, however, most days that fell short, as negativity had a way of seeping into her views.

"Don't worry about it Rem, she's not mad at you, you know she cares about you. She's just worried, her parents haven't answered the last letter we sent them two weeks ago. She also worries about you, especially during the full moon," Stella comforted the guilt-ridden werewolf.

Rema just nodded, accepting her friend's comfort, and Stella swung an arm around her. Together they walked to the Potions chamber, Petra trailing along behind them.

Lyle had been deciding where to sit when Jane Potter had stormed into the dungeon. She stomped right past him, not even sparing him or anyone else in class a glance, and sat down all the way in the back, all by herself. Her usual partners in crime were nowhere to be seen.

Jane had let her rucksack fall from her shoulder; hitting the floor with a thud. She then sat down on the stool, put her elbows on the table and rested her head on the palms of her hands. Her shoulders hunched over, the weight of the world on her shoulders. She looked tired, defeated, and a little bit broken. None of her usual exuberance seemed to surround her. Her hair had fallen around her like a curtain, shielding her from the world.

Perhaps it was the fact that the confidant Gryffindor looked so completely defeated, that had prompted Lyle's legs to move without his direct consent. But soon enough he found himself sitting down next to the raven haired beauty, who had looked up when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Evans? I think you're lost, Severa's sitting next to Slughorn's desk, over there" Jane said, pointing to the front of the class. Lyle noticed that there was no real bite behind her snark. He couldn't explain why it broke his heart a little bit, to see her fire nearly smothered, however, he covered up his sympathy with a scoff.

Lyle shook his head, "I'm not lost, just thought I'd spare you from having to spend time with Charles Burbage," he finished, his corner of his lip quirked upward into an amused smirk. Jane shuddered, Burbage was a bit too friendly and didn't know how to take no for an answer.

"Well-" she had started to protest. As much as Jane wanted Lyle to sit next to her today hadn't been a good day. She felt snappish, short-tempered and sad, Lyle should definitely not be hanging around her today if she ever wanted them to have a good relationship.

"Good, you're all seated. Today we will be brewing an elixir to induce euphoria, you will be working with your seat mate to create one potion," Slughorn announced, interrupting Jane. The people who were stuck with bad partners groaned, at that moment Jane was quite thankful that Evans had chosen to sit next to her, after all. "Well let's get started!" the professor finished his statement with a clap pulling everyone out of their reverie and getting them to work.

The pair of Gryffindors pulled their potions book from their rucksacks and they both flipped to the right page. Lyle noticed that most all of the pages in Jane's book had notes; it looked more like a diary with a lot of different handwriting styles than a serious instruction book. Not that Lyle could judge, his own book was full of scribbles on how to improve certain potions. They both read through the instructions, noting what ingredients they would need, Jane, scribbled them on a piece of parchment, which she handed to Lyle.

"Okay, I'll go get these and then I'll be right back," Lyle said. Jane nodded, not looking up from her book. The less she said, the less of a fool she would make herself out to be around him.

As Lyle walked to the front of the class he passed Rema and Petra, they were seated together, as well as Stella and Marlo, who were sitting in front of the pair of Maraudettes. Rema caught his eye, she stopped him.

"Hey, Lyle is Jane alright?" she asked in a soft voice. He tried not to worry about Rema, she looked pale, with dark rings around her eyes. He wondered when was the last time she slept or ate, her face looked hollow and haunted.

"I'm not sure, she's being awfully quiet. Hasn't been flirting at all," Lyle answered a bit cockily. The silver eyed Gryffindor snorted, ready to take down his ego a few pegs.

"Well the flirting thing isn't really relevant, she stopped doing that a while ago. Anyway, I'm not quite sure she likes you anymore, she hardly ever mentions you. It's almost like you don't even matter anymore" Stella trailed off, the speech had been said nastily, tilting her head to one side, glaring at him. To be honest Lyle was quite scared of her at that precise moment.

Lyle shifted uncomfortably, "Well I've got to go get some ingredients, I'll catch up with you later," he said walking away. He felt kind of bad, he should have known better than to throw Jane's crush back in Stella's face. If there was anyone Lyle Evans was scared of at Hogwarts it was Stella Black, the woman put fear in his soul.

He was finally close to his destination he was stopped, once again. This time it was by Severa. She glowered, her jaw locked, looking like she was planning a murder. Lyle reluctantly stopped to talk to her, would people not just let him get his ingredient in peace, he wanted to work on his potion, dammit.

"I can't believe you're working with that bint," she commented nastily, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She turned to glare at Jane, who was currently being chatted up by Burbage. Liam was taken aback for a moment, he couldn't have been gone that long, but leave it to Burbage to swoop down immediately after he left. He immediately saw the tension between Jane and the Gryffindor, it wasn't the good kind, that was for sure, Jane looked more upset than when he had left her.

"Sorry, can't talk have to go," he excused himself. He shuffled towards the ingredients, picked what he needed and tried to walk back to his table as calmly as possible. He had to restrain himself, Jane looked more desperate as time went by, he tried not to sprint down the aisle. When he neared the table he could hear the conversation.

"No, Charles I would not like to go to Hogsmeade with you," said the Gryffindor chaser, clearly exasperated. She had raked her hand through her hair in frustration more than once. She had a pinched expression on her face, meaning she was not enjoying it.

"Now Jane, you know you don't have to play hard to get with me," he said with a smirk. He had an arrogant personality that repelled most of the female population in Hogwarts, Jane included. He had started asking her out a few weeks ago, and had yet to stop, no matter how many times Jane turned him down. The irony was not lost on Lyle.

Lyle sat down and turned to look at the intruder, "Burbage," he acknowledged. He had hoped that when he arrived at their table Charles would leave, however that did not seem to be the case.

"Evans," the other Gryffindor nodded. Lyle took a seat next to Jane, pretending to be preparing their ingredients for the potion. He went through the motions, all the while keeping his ear on the conversation. Burbage continued needling Jane, and Lyle had to give it to her, the Gryffindor girl was handling this with a lot of grace.

"Do you mind if we work on the potion? You know, what you're supposed to be doing?" inquired the redheaded Gryffindor, eyes slightly narrowed, scowling, looking more intimidating than Jane had ever seen him before.

"Not at all, as soon as the Gryffindor princess agrees to be my date for Hogsmeade, this weekend," Charles attempted to bargain, lips pulled into a smirk, that he thought was attractive.

Lyle Evans will never be able to explain what went through his mind that moment. Perhaps his lips had rebelled against him. Perhaps he finally said what he wanted to say for a long time. Perhaps he just wanted to be a friend.

The next words out of his mouth were, "She can't, she already agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me."


	3. CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2

Through her shock, Jane managed to play along.

"He asked me yesterday morning, that's why I turned you down during supper," she explained, "Now would you mind, we have an elixir to make." Jane dismissed the Gryffindor, who ran back to his table, tail between his legs.

There was a certain stillness in the air. A silence neither wanted to break, although there was movement all around them, they were trapped in their own quiet bubble. They were frozen in time.

"Jane-" Liam was the first to break the moment. He wanted to talk; he needed to know what had just occurred, and how exactly they were going to proceed.

"We need to begin by adding Shrivelfig," Jane began, interrupting Lyle.

She felt cold. Like ice was flowing through her veins. She needed to get moving, she needed to keep herself occupied. She didn't want to think about what Lyle had just done. She started cutting up and chopping the ingredients, measuring out the portions for her own.

"Jane," he tried once again.

"Don't just please don't. Please. Don't - I'm thankful for your help. But can we not talk about it now; can we just focus on making the elixir? If you still want to talk about it later we can, but right now can we just work? Please," she widened her eyes, reminding Lyle of a doe, willing him to forget what had just happened.

Jane needed time to think and regroup before they had this particular conversation. Her heart was clenching in agony, this is what she had wanted since she was 11 years old, but not this way. Never this way.

"So, Shrivelfig? How much?" Lyle asked.

Jane nodded, giving him both a grateful smile and the exact measurement they needed. The Gryffindor boy wasn't happy with the turn of events, but he knew Jane needed time, and he couldn't deny her something as simple as that.

They were halfway through the potion when Jane asked him a peculiar question. "Did you bring peppermint?" she asked.

"Peppermint? Oh no, I saw it written down in the ingredient list, but we don't need peppermint for the elixir," Lyle said, certain of his knowledge.

"Um, the peppermint is mum's advice. It's supposed to help counter some of the Elixir's side effects without affecting the overall elixir," she said turning slightly red.

Lyle understood. Jane adored her parents, raved about them any chance she had, everyone in school knew about her parents. Her father was Head of the Auror's Department, and her mother, although she was a stay-at-home housewitch, was also a world-renowned Potions mistress, who dedicated her free time to improving and creating potions, as well as various

charities. Lyle always remembered Jane complaining about the different events she had to go to, all the parties and balls and such, in the name of charity.

"I'll go get some," Lyle said, getting up. He knew to follow Jane's advice, her father might have been the one to invent Sleeke-Easy but it was her mom who was the serious potioneer, and if she gave you advice, you followed that advice.

"Okay, do try to hurry. I know everyone wants a piece of you, however we don't have that much time," she teased.

Lyle blushed. He wished he would stop doing that around her, as he knew that with his red hair and pale physique he might not make the most attractive picture. He then caught himself, what did he care if Jane Potter thought he was attractive?

"Evans my boy, looking for something?" Slughorn intercepted the freckled Gryffindor only a few steps from his desk.

Liam felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Slughorn was known to play favourites, and Lyle was one of his favourites. Lyle was often invited to get-togethers attended by the 'Slug Club' - people the professor had indicated would be the future of the Wizarding World.

"Yeah, I was looking for some peppermint, professor," Lyle said, unsure of himself. He wanted to keep his position as favourite, and his excellent marks. Making a mistake would surely take both things away.

"For the elixir?" the Professor raised an eyebrow, looking cynical about the idea. He knew Lyle Evans to be an intelligent boy, however he also knew, from personal experience, the disastrous things that could happen when one was too adventurous and liberal with instructions.

"Yeah, to counter some of the side effects," he parroted what Jane had told him only minutes ago, hoping that this would convince the teacher it was a good idea.

Slughorn gave a joyous laugh, and clapped the Gryffindor on the back, "Oh, I do enjoy your solutions, always so witty and clever. I wish you good luck my boy."

"Oh, it-" Lyle started to explain.

However he was cut off by a clear melodious voice, "Lyle, have you gotten that ingredient you wanted," Jane asked, appearing next to him.

"Ah, Miss Potter, I hear you two are an item now. Shall I be expecting your presence to be more of a regular attendance at my parties?" the Professor questioned.

Both teens turned red.

"I would love to attend more of your parties. Unfortunately, they always seem to fall close to Quidditch games, and as team captain I feel I shouldn't set a bad example for the rest of the team. Partying would be frowned upon by my teammates," she finished with conviction.

The thing about Jane Potter was that she was an incredible actress, and had Lyle not known her any better he might actually believe that Jane didn't like to go out to parties. Which admittedly she didn't, unless it was an unauthorized party, with alcohol.

"Miss Potter always so responsible," Lyle had to fight the urge to snort, when the professor called Jane responsible, did he not know who he was talking to, this was Jane Potter, Mauradette Extraordinaire. "Well I mustn't keep you any longer, you have work to do after all," said Slughorn, "I think you'll find peppermint on the top shelf."

"Thank you," the Gryffindors chorused. They walked to the cupboards, and as they searched, Lyle muttered thanks.

"You saved me before with Burbage, and I've just saved you. We're even now," she said, shrugging her shoulder. Lyle found the peppermint on one of the high shelves. They both went back to their table, where they worked in silence for the rest of the time.

"Time's up," Professor Slughorn announced.

He then proceeded to walk by every table, examining the potions. He liked to do this often, check the progress and see where people would have done better. He also made a preliminary judgement on the potions, deciding which ones were mostly likely to get better grades.

"Well I must say, Mr. Evans, your potion looks outstanding, however we shall have to see how the peppermint affected the rest of your potion," the Potions Master commented as he passed the last table.

Lyle tried his hardest not to preen, but the praise always went to his head. He always felt proud of the work he had done and it was perhaps his pride that was his deepest flaw.

"Bottle up your potions and leave them on my desk on your way out. Don't bother cleaning up after yourselves, the first years will be getting a treat today," Slughorn announced, a wicked gleam in his eye.

They all remembered being a first year and having to learn how to properly clean and take care of all the materials in the dungeon. Slughorn also used this method as a punishment - when a class had been particularly unruly he always threatened them with cleaning duty.

The class started to bottle up their potions; this was usually followed by a lot of chaos. Sometimes people dropped their potions or the vials rolled onto the floor and broke. People were moving around, and accidents happened quite frequently. However today no one was unlucky enough for that to happen, instead they left the materials they had used for the first years to clean up, dropped off their vials on Slughorn's desk, and walked out of class.

Lyle noticed that Jane was moving at a glacial pace as she was packing up her stuff. He assumed she wanted to be left alone, considering she was taking five minutes to pack up a book. So naturally he packed up his book, bottled up their potion, dropped it off on Slughorn's table, and waited for Jane outside the dungeon. He felt like a creeper, or worse, Burbage, but he needed to talk to Jane, and that would happen one way or another.

Jane was the last one to leave the dungeon; she started to walk past him when he caught her by the arm. He frightened her, but when she realized it was only Lyle, she calmed down. She turned to look at him.

"Are you stalking me Evans?" she arched an eyebrow, the perfect picture of mischief, with a smile plating on her lips. He let go of her arm, and she started walking towards the Great Hall.

"I just wanted to see how you were," Lyle said, falling into step with her. He had to make sure to shorten his stride else he might leave Jane behind.

"You mean since the last five minutes since I last saw you?" she asked with a teasing smile on her face.

Lyle blushed, but nodded. He had to stop caring about Jane Potter; it was going to be the death of him. There was something almost magnetic about the girl, something which he had not allowed himself to see before. Wait, when did he even start caring about Jane Potter? They had been friendlier towards each other lately; there was only light bickering between them, instead of the usual scathing remarks and poisonous words.

They walked towards the Great Hall together, and sat down next to one another at the table. Jane could feel her blush rising, as much of a spectacle as she made out of herself, constantly asking out Lyle Evans, she was actually quite shy when it came to real emotions. Sitting next to Liam Evans, to talk about a date they might potentially have, was something she was not prepared for. She passed the Mauradettes, whom were already seated close to the hall doors, speeding up as she did.

"So, is now later?" Lyle asked.

Their previous conversation was still present in his mind. Jane grimaced but nodded. She didn't want to talk about this, there was no use getting her hopes up that she might actually got out on a date with Lyle Evans, because in her heart she knew that it didn't mean to him what it meant to her. Lyle was nervous too, he had spent so much time hating Jane that it was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that he had offered to go out on a date with her – if only to keep her from dating Charles.

"You don't have to go with me," Jane blurted out, her cheeks flushing. "I know you only said that I had agreed to go to Hogsmeade with you to save me from Burbage. I won't hold you to anything," Jane explained.

She felt her heart break a little bit and there was a deep ache inside her chest. Lyle frowned, that wasn't what he was going to say.

"I-" Lyle never got a chance to finish his sentence, because in that moment an owl swopped into the Great Hall. It was a grey owl, by the name of Iris and she stopped right in front of Jane.

Suddenly it seemed like all of Jane's bad luck that day had disappeared, joy returned to her face and, to Lyle, the room seemed to suddenly light up.

A letter from Mr. and Mrs. Potter had finally arrived.

He could see the elegant script on the outside, addressed to Jane and Stella, with the family crest at the top. It was a thick cream coloured envelope and there was something about that that screamed wealth.

He knew she wasn't part of the Sacred 28, but the Potter's might as well be, between the old family money and Jane's father's invention, the Potter coffers were more than full, not to mention her 'pure' bloodline. He could see it in her features, the high cheekbones, small nose, and her heart shaped lips. She screamed aristocracy, although not as obviously as Stella, with her silver eyes, statuesque build, and model height. They both had posh accents, and a delicacy about them- he shook himself. He really needed to stop musing about Jane, if he wanted to survive the school year.

For the first time in a week Lyle saw the Jane he knew, and not necessarily liked, from the past six years. Her eyes lit up with the fire that had been extinguished for a while; there was the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face, and the sparkle had returned to her eyes. He felt happy for her, there was something about her happiness which was infectious, she- really he needed to stop thinking about her now.

Jane snatched up the letter her owl had dropped, and remembered to thank Iris. She felt bad momentarily when she was unable to offer her owl any treats. However the owl took off in flight, and Jane had a feeling she would be seeing Iris later, in her room. She held the envelope it in her hands like it was her most prized possession; Lyle also noticed that it was the same way she held the quaffle- ok, he was stopping now.

Jane looked at the handwriting. Even though she had long since gotten used to her mother's elegant script, nothing would ever compare to the feeling of relief and happiness that she was currently feeling.

The letter was addressed to Jane and Stella. There was rush of emotions, happiness, and a little bit of guilt. She started feeling bad about the way she had treated her friends earlier. There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach, and she knew that she would not be eating today.

"I've got to go, later Lyle," she said getting up and walked, in a fast pace, towards Stella, and the girls. Lyle shrugged, they would speak later, he was sure - it was nearly inevitable.

When she reached them she said, "Stella, there's a letter! There's a letter!"

Stella jumped up and they hugged one another. When the girls finally broke apart there were tears in their eyes. There was a huge sense of relief in the air, even Rema and Petra could feel it.

"Oh thank god," Stella breathe out. "We've got to go, meet you back in the commons?" the silver eyed girl asked the other two marauders.

The girls nodded while both raven haired beauties took off running. They were happy for their friends, they had been wound up so tightly recently, it was a palpable relief to see the letter.

It wasn't uncommon for people to mistake Stella Black and Jane Potter as sisters, they both had long black hair, but where Jane's was curly, Stella's was straight. Both had classically beautiful and elegant faces, except that Stella's nose was only a touch more upturned, and Jane's was,

only a bit smaller. The biggest difference between the girls was that Stella was five inches taller than Jane, and the Potter girl was more accident prone and walked with a little less grace.

In all but name they actually were sisters. When Stella's family had kicked her out after she broke her marriage contract to Lucius Malfoy, it was Jane's parents who took her in. And technically they were related. Jane's mum was Stella's mum's cousin, or something like that. So the happiness they felt was shared between the best friends/sisters.

They ran down the halls and up the stairs. They flew past the common room, not stopping until they reached the door to their room. When the two best friends entered the room, they immediately ripped open the letter. They usually had a ritual, opening up the letters with an antique letter opener that Jane's mom had given her before she left for Hogwarts. It was gold, with rubies encrusted in the handle, just one of the things in the Potter's vault. But this time they had completely forgotten about it.

"I'll read the letter as they like me best," Stella announced to the empty room, plucking the letter from Jane's hand.

"What? Stella they're my parents, I'll read it," Jane said, trying to reach for the letter, which Stella was holding over her head and out of her reach.

"But I'm the favourite. They basically adopted me," the Black Heiress waved the letter, taunting Jane. She would walk a step just out of reach every time the Potter girl got close enough to reach for the letter.

"Well, I'm their flesh and blood, they love me," the petite girl said with a huff. She controlled the urge to stomp her foot, which she had stopped doing in 3rd year, but at that precise moment she really wanted to again.

"Ah, exactly. They have to love you, but they adore me because I'm just that awesome," she said haughtily, a smirk playing on her lips. Secretly the Black girl loved being taller than Jane, alright well not so secretly. She was always lording her height over the Potter Princess. It was one of those perks of being a Black, the few and far between perks.

"Estella Walburga Black, give me that letter," Jane narrowed her eyes, the threat imminent in her voice.

"Really, you want to go there, Jane Euphemia Potter?" the troublemaker narrowed her eyes, and a scowl adorned her aristocratic features.

The two raven haired girls stared at each other for a few minutes, then all of the sudden they burst out laughing. All the tension that had been building up for a while was suddenly dissolved, and all that was left were two smiling, giggling best friends, sisters.

Finally Stella broke the giggles, "I'll read it; your brain is probably still fried from Evans agreeing to go to Hogsmeade with you."

Immediately Jane's smile disappeared. She cleared her throat. "Oh yeah, let's just read the letter," she attempted to change the subject.

"Alright, here it goes," Stella announced.

_Dear Jane &amp; Stella,_

_We apologize for not writing sooner, we know how you worry. Your father and I have just come back from visiting your Aunt Elise. I regret to inform you that she was murdered. It seems not the Potter name, nor our blood status, will protect us from Voldemort._

_My dear girls you are safe inside of Hogwarts, unfortunately you cannot stay there forever. Your father and I are going into hiding soon, and when summer comes we will take both of you with us._

_We are the last Potters and must carry on the family name, the honor and the traditions._

_Our dear brave girls, you won't hear from us for a while, but we will always be there for you, if you need anything, you know how to contact Bizzy. She will know where we are, and get the message to us. We will always try to help anytime we can._

_Jane, we have also put some extra funds in your trust vault, if you need anything do not hesitate to use it. We have also started a trust for Stella, attached is the key to her vault._

_It is a brave new world we must embrace, be strong, be careful, be there for one another._

_We love you with all our hearts,_

_Euphemia &amp; Fleamont Potter_

Just as Jane ran off, Lyle's best mate arrived to fill the empty seat.

"Was that Stella who just ran past me, with your new paramour?" Marlo McKinnon asked.

Everyone knew that the Stella and the Marlo were involved; they weren't exactly subtle about it. Especially when the blue eyed boy would be sitting in the common room and the silver eyed girl would saunter up to him, would plop down on his lap, and start snogging. In the middle of the common room. In front of everyone. All the time. No one was ever safe. Ever.

However both guilty parties always denied being in a relationship.

"My new paramour? Are you referring to Jane, by any chance, Mr. Black?" Lyle asked with a smirk.

"Why, perhaps I am, Mr. Potter, since you do have a date to Hogsmeade, with her. If I'm not mistaken," Marlo's blue eyes sparkled with mirth. He had been teased about Stella for so long, it was nice be able to tease Lyle back for finally giving into Jane.

The emerald eyed boy narrowed his eyes, "Mr. Potter, really?" he asked.

"Why yes, we all know who would wear the trousers in that relationship," the McKinnon boy said innocently, stealing a chip off Lyle's plate.

"Just like Stella wears them in your relationship?" quipped back the red head, just as innocently.

"Moving on, how, when, and why did you give into our striking captains advances?" Marlo asked with genuine curiosity.

"Umm- I didn't really give in- it's just. She's calling it a favour, not so much a date," Lyle tried to explain, squirming, unable to find the right words to express himself.

"So, if she sees it as a favour, what do you see it as?" the blonde boy asked earnestly.


	4. CHAPTER 3

**OKAY, so it seems I have a few things to clear up. Yes I am reposting the chapters and changing them as I review them, however when finish posting all the revised chapters, I will post new ones. (I DO HAVE NEW CHAPTERS!)**

**I changed Lily's name to Lyle, but it used to be Liam, I'm sorry for the confusion.**

**I am both expanding the chapters and combining them, I realized I was at chapter 18, and not many substantial things had happened, basically very thing I had written was just build up for the real story.**

There was chill in the air, a coldness that had seeped into Jane's soul. A sense of dread, that this was only the beginning to a long, painful story.

''We won't tell anyone, this letter stays between us," said Stella, breaking the eerie silence that had settled around them. Her voice was barely a whisper, but in the quiet room, it might as well have been shouting. She stood in the middle of the spinning room, a sense of anguishing taking over her body.

Jane had settled on her bed, while Stella read the letter, and as her friend had spoken, Jane had curved in on herself, little by little. She was trying to disappear, Stella decided, that or she was comforting herself, with her arms crossed in front of her, hugging her own torso. She looked pitiful, the girl who had confidence in her very step, a smile on her face, and happiness in her eyes, looked so small. Stella knew she was taller than the Potter girl, but their height difference had never seemed so noticeable until that very moment.

Jane had a dismayed look on her face, she didn't- she couldn't understand why this was happening. All the Potters had been hunted and killed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and she didn't understand why. Could it be, he just wanted to make an example out of a light pureblood family? To let everyone know that unless you were his supporter, no one was safe?

Stella wished she could shield Jane. Even though she and Jane were trouble makers and the unofficial leaders of the Mauradettes, Jane still had an innocence about her. The Potter girl had a good life, the best parents in the world, a fortune to inherit, and nothing horribly bad had happened to her, yet. She had a positive outlook, where everyone else was already jaded.

Fawn was so loving and kind. She always invited the girls to her mansion over the summer, mainly so they could help Rema, but also so they could each get away from the problems they couldn't escape at home. Jane might have been mean when she was younger, as kids were prone to be, (Stella herself had been a little hellion), but she had grown up, and learned a lot from her mistakes. The Gryffindor was more mature now, looking out for the younger children, helping them, and finding fun ways to mess with the Slytherin's, instead of harmful ways.

The worst things happen to the best people, Stella thought. Euphemia and Fleamont were some of the best people, adopting Stella when her parents had disowned her, being huge light supporters, and fighting for magical creatures rights (helping Rema with her problems with the ministry.)

"Not even Rem, and Petra, no one can know," the doe-eyed girl agreed. The two girls looked one another in the eyes; no one would find out that Jane was indeed the sole heiress to the Potter fortune. It wasn't that they didn't trust their friends, but the Potter's had been a very prominent family, spread out across Europe, which probably meant Jane now had a house, or apartment in probably every country from Spain to Russia.

Jane's lip started to quiver, and soon enough she couldn't contain her tears.

"I'm so tired," she whispered. Stella moved across the room to pull her friend into a fierce hug, and didn't let her go. Stella hunched over Jane, their arms tangled together, giving each other comfort, as Jane's sobs subsided.

Finally, Stella pulled back and asked, "Are you alright?" she asked, holding her sister at an arm's length to inspect her.

"No, I'm not" Fawn said, but at least she had stopped crying, although they endeavour had left her exhausted. She yawned, and the weight of the world was more apparent than ever. "I'm really tired right now, I'm going to have a nap, I'll see you later in Herbology," s e dismissed Stella.

It was because of Jane's natural delegating skills that she was nicknamed Princess, there was something almost compulsory about her orders, people just followed them, no questions asked.

Stella smirked, knowing when she was being dismissed, and said, "Alright, I'll see you later Princess," and left the doe-eyed girl to her own devices. Stella walked out the door, casting a charm that would make the noise coming from the common room quiet down, so as not to bother Jane. Jane might have been the mother in the group, but sometimes Jane needed to be taken care of too.

Jane lay on her bed, tossing and turning. She couldn't get comfortable, her skin felt itchy, her eyes were swollen, and her jaw ached. She was exhausted, emotionally, and apparently, her body did not feel the same. In that moment Fawn get incredibly annoyed, all she wanted was a nap, but apparently, the world didn't want that.

She got out of bed with a huff, and marched to the ensuite bathroom. She stripped out of her clothes, letting them fall on the floor, and picked up her towel, hanging not the hook. She turned on the water for a bath, and while she waited for the water to fill up the tub, she put her hair up in a bun, so it wouldn't get wet. She put in drops of lavender before she slipped in, and closed her eyes, breathing in and out. In and out. In and out. Relaxing her body, and her mind. Finally peace, she thought.

Stella walked down the stairs and into the common room, did n't spot Marlo right away, so she sat on the couch waiting for her flame. Without anyone to distract her, her mind wandered, into dark corners, it was better off staying away from. Jane's parents were like her own, and she couldn't imagine what her friend was going through. Stella knew that this summer would be different from any before, and the pessimistic side of her brain took over. She was always afraid she would be taken away from her adoptive family, and this fear seemed more possible than ever.

Her fears were taking over when she quickly spotted Marlo and Lyle coming in through the portrait door. She waved the boys over, knowing that they would follow her whims. The silver eyed girl waited until the boys were seated around her, before she got up and sat on Marlo/s lap, even though he had sat down next to her. Lyle rolled his eyes from the armchair he was seated in.

The redhead released an exasperated sigh, while the blonde boy only smirked. Marlo always enjoyed getting a rise out of the redhead, especially when Stella was involved, mostly because Marlo knew Lyle could barely stand the black haired beauty. The blonde could understand where the animosity stemmed from, after all Stella had been pretty mean to Severa, when they were younger, and Lyle always felt the need to protect his childhood best friend.

"So, Lyle, what are your intentions with our doe-eyed girl?" Stella asked, turning to look at the culprit she was questioning. She was always protective of her friend, with good reason. Jane often let her judgment be clouded, especially where Lyle Evans was concerned, so Stella took it upon herself to screen any potential suitors, before Jane was even involved with them.

Lyle would always find it funny, the way people talked about Jane, like they owned her, like she belonged to someone, whether it be Stella, or Gryffindor, she was never her own person. She was Fawn, or the Gryffindor Princess, or even the Potter heir. She had so many roles at Hogwarts, she wasn't just a person she was also the Gryffindor Quidditch captain and a Mauradette, although people did use her name, and they did quite often, in fact, it never seemed like they were talking about Jane the person, but Jane the legend.

"Ummm, I'm assuming we are talking about Jane?" he asked, and waited for Stella's nod of confirmation before continuing, "Well, mainly to keep her away from Burbage." He felt his neck heat up, he hated being put on the spot, especially where it concerned Jane. Honestly, he was just trying to be good guy, perhaps he should have shut his mouth, then this all this drama would not be happening.

"Oh, nice. You want to keep away the competition, but you don't want our Jane?" the Black girl raised an elegant eyebrow, cocking her head to the side. Lyle knew what she was trying to do, she was baiting him, she wanted him to fall into some sort of trap, and unfortunately Lyle had always fallen for her games hook, line and sinker. But not this time.

"Would you have liked it better, if I had said that my intentions with Jane were nefarious?" challenged the red head.

"No, I would have liked it better if you had left her alone, actually," Stella responded, cattily.

"What?" Lyle asked confused, his eyes narrowed, wondering what exactly Stella Black was playing at. Honestly, why couldn't she see that he was only trying to help her friend, why was everything so dramatic? "Can't we talk about something else? I don't really think this is any of your business."

As soon as those words had left his lips, Lyle knew he had fucked up.

"You don't think I should involve myself in Jane's business?" The raven haired girl's voice had fallen to a chilling tone, Lyle swore ice was flowing through her veins. Her voice was calm, but deadly. "You don't think I should involve myself with my sister's life? When her parents have taken me in, raised me and taken care of me, I shouldn't return the favour for their only child?" Stella was raging on the inside, she wanted to destroy Lyle for ever suggesting such a thing. However, she would deal with this like a Black, with intimidation, and fear.

"No, no, that wasn't what I meant. I-" Lyle was tripping over himself in his quest to get himself out of the hole he had dug for himself. Lyle took a steadying breath, and cleared his throat before he began. "What I meant was that I would prefer to speak with Jane about this, it concerns us, not the whole castle."

"And I would prefer you that you leave Jane alone, if we're wishing for impossible things. Anyways, she has enough problems without you adding to them," her voice was calm, and steady, but on the inside she was in a rage, Lyle's explanation had not calmed her, but instead made her more angry. She wasn't part of the tonne, another gossiping nitwit, she was Jane's best friend, she had more right than anyone to give an opinion.

"I'm helping her get rid of Burbage, how is that adding to her problems?" He was honestly confused, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his lips were slightly pursed, had Jane been there she would have found him adorable. However, Stella just found him annoying, how Jane ever fell for him, the Black girl had no idea, she could barely tolerate him, it didn't matter that Rema swore he was not of the sweetest people she had met.

"Burbage will keep behind Jane even if he thinks you two are dating. He will just be more sneaky, and infinitely more creepy around her. Before you came along, he wanted it to be public, so everyone could see that he had finally "obtained" the infamous Jane Potter, now he'll just ask her when she's all alone, and far away from you, he will start to seek her out. And it's not really just Burbage, Smelly," at Lyle's sound of indignation, Stella huffed and amended her statement, "okay- Snape- whatever, is also going to be after Jane, in a much more violent way. She hates Jane already, and to find out her so called "best friend" is going out with her enemy, it's going o be hell. God, Lyle, do you even think before you decide to 'help' someone?" It was a legitimate question, it seemed anytime Lyle tried to help anyone, it only ended up making more of a problem.

Lyle was at a loss, he looked at Marlo for help. The blonde had been sitting there in silence, watching the two trade arguments like a tennis match, back and forth, back and forth. If they had been talking about anything else, except Jane, he would have found it infinitely more amusing, alas, Jane was like a little sister to him. And he honestly did not want to anger Stella.

"She's right mate, Severa can be downright cruel to Jane, and you know it. It'll only get worse if you two are dating," Marlo shrugged, wrapping an arm around Stella's waist, and running his other hand through his blonde hair, honestly this conversation was stressing him out, he did not need this kind of drama in his life, but what could he do, he really liked Stella, and she was nothing but drama. He hoped he said the right thing, Marlo knew Lyle liked to ignore the seedier side of Severa, but sometimes it just couldn't be ignored, it was there, whether his friend wanted to acknowledge it or not.

"But Jane and I aren't dating!" Lyle said in obvious distress. He just wanted to rip his hair out, all they kept doing was talking in circles, he had good intentions, but it seemed that the world was just conspiring against him.

"Do you mind saying that a little bit louder; I don't think the Ravenclaw Tower heard you."

All eyes turned to the Quidditch obsessed girl that had just come down from her dorm room.

Lyle looked at Jane and had to remind himself not to let his mouth hang open like some kind of prat.

It was easy for him to forget how pretty the Potter girl actually was. Rather than focusing on her physique, he thought about how rude and obnoxious she could be. How she would never pay attention in class, preferring to daydream and doodle, yet managed to achieve a perfect score on… Every. Single. Evaluation.

But sometimes, during Astronomy, when the moon was particularly bright, and it hit her, a certain way, he couldn't avoid it. The moonlight would bathe her in a pale light, which would paint her in shades of silver and black, taking his breath away. Jane Potter was truly beautiful.

And standing in front of him, with wide hazel eyes, sleep-tousled curls, and her rumpled uniform, she looked completely and utterly adorable. He hated it. As she approached him, Lyle could smell the scent of roses that enveloped her. She perched herself on the arm of Lyle's chair looking down on him, she gave him space, although she was sitting close enough that Lyle could feel heat radiating from her body.

Stella and Marlo had turned to look at Lyle expectantly, wanting to know what his response would be, he'd been defending himself nearly all day, how well would he do with Jane? Luckily, the poor boy, who at the moment couldn't string a coherent thought together, was saved from answering by the arrival of the two missing Mauradettes.

Rema Lupin looked like she carried the weight of the world upon her shoulders, she walked with a dignified grace, head held high, and shoulders back. She always put her honey brown hair up into a ponytail, never a hair out of place, and made sure the had concealer to cover up the myriad of scars that covered her face. Her uniform was never wrinkled and her green eyes never betrayed the pain she felt.

Petra Pettigrew, however, was completely the opposite, where the prefect would stride, the other girl shuffled awkwardly, at best. Her dirty blonde hair was always in disarray, Stella affectionately called it, a rat's nest, usually in jest. Her blue eyes were always watery, making her look like she was on the brink of crying. Her uniform was always a mess, with food and ink stains, however she was a very pleasant and agreeable person, which you need to be in order to get along with personalities like Stella's.

All gazes turned to them, as the girls settled down, Rema sat on the couch, next to Stella and Marlo, giving them wide berth, while Petra sat on the armchair opposite from Jane and Lyle.

"So, heard you finally got rid of Charles, how'd you manage that?" asked Rema, making Lyle squirm uncomfortably. He was so tired of talking about the subject of Jane, Charles, and Severa. He would just love to forget about the subject all together, alas, no one would let him. He found himself praying something scandalous happened at Hogwarts soon, he didn't know how much more conversation he could take. Why wasn't anyone interested in Charms? He'd much rather talk about that, hell, he'd even prefer to talk about Peter, his brother.

"You will never believe it!" Stella said, leaning into Marlo, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Jane, would you like the honours, or shall I?" The Black girl had a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Or perhaps Lyle would like to explain, it was he, after all, the one who asked Jane out."

Both Lyle and Jane blushed instantly. Jane really wished Stella would shut up, Lyle was just being nice, she needed everyone to leave him alone, so he wouldn't regret offering to help. She was mortified by the way the school was carrying on.

"It's adorable you think he asked, Lyle basically ordered me to go out with him, didn't have much of a choice," Jane said with a shrug and a mischievous smile. She might as well go along with the ruse Lyle had started, it would do her no good for Burbage to barge in and hear her deny her date with Lyle.

"How exactly did I do that? I thought a Mauradette, especially Jane Potter, only did what she wanted to do. I thought that no one could order you around?" Lyle said, more than a little cross. Now Jane was being ungrateful too, perhaps it would be best to forget the whole idea.

"Sometimes, even a Mauradette must do what needs to be done to serve a greater purpose, even if reluctantly," Jane said, with all the wisdom she was lacking. She liked to play pretend and tricks and now seemed as great a time, as ever.

The banter continued between Jane and Lyle, the latter progressively turning more red by the second. Their friends were silent during the whole exchange, each of them was analyzing their interaction, noting the way Jane was just riling Lyle up, and how easily he fell into her trap. Rema was silently shaking her head, wondering when would those two realize they were perfect for each other, a thought echoed by everyone there save Stella. The silver-eyed girl was wondering when the two wold finally explode, and not speak to each other ever again, a particular fantasy of hers.

Unexpectedly Jane stood up, "As lovely as this conversation is, Lyle, I fear I must take my leave, I forgot some notes I need for Herbology." Said the curly haired girl, suddenly feeling claustrophobic, the room was too hot, and there were too many people looking at her. She walked out of the common room, before anybody could stop her.

Jane normally took her time with anything, and everything, but at that moment she could not leave the tower fast enough. She walked at a brisk pace, ignoring anyone who woven or greeted her. She was trying to put as much distance between herself and the Gryffindors, there was too much pressure that came along with being the Gryffindor Princess, it was a roles and at that particular moment she did not have the strength to continue the façade. She knew sooner or later one of her friends would realize her lie; it just depended on how long it would take them before Petra realized she had borrowed Jane's notes, and were currently in her possession. At that particular thought she slowed down her pace, perhaps she was safe after all, as nice as Petra was, the girl tended to be a bit slow.

Jane stopped to catch her breath, only to realize she was standing in front of the Black Lake. She took a couple of deep breaths before sitting under one of the sprawling trees that adorned the area.

Looking up at the sky the Potter girl decided this was probably not the best idea. It was a cloudy February day, rainy perhaps, from the way the thunder and clouds were rolling in. However, not even the impending threat of a storm was enough to force Jane to go back to the Tower.

The peace and quiet that surrounded her was the opposite of what the hazel eyed girl needed. Soon enough every emotion she was trying to repress, surged to the surface.

She felt afraid, horrified, and very much alone. She tried to fight back tears, unsuccessfully, feeling the familiar sting starting to creep up.

She felt irrational, she knew she had friends and that she was safe at Hogwarts, but the death of her Aunt Elise had only been the latest in a long string of misfortunes to befall on the Potters. It had started with the murders of her Uncle Charlus, his wife Dorea, and his children; which had then spiralled to the murder of every member of the Potter House. It seemed that so far, only Jane and her parents had been spared.

The black haired girl sat up abruptly and wiped away any stray tear that might have fallen. Everything was suddenly very overwhelming, she felt light-headed, dizzy, and as if she couldn't catch her breath.

She hoped no one was looking as she staggered into the forest, and transformed into her animagus, a beautiful doe. As Fawn, it was easier to deal with emotions, and for a few moments, she could pretend that nothing was wrong.

So off she went into the Forbidden Forest, leaving all her worries behind.

After Jane left, the conversation topic continued between the assembled group.

"So, Jane finally gets a date with you, and she isn't shouting it from the top of the Astronomy Tower. Is she ill?" the were-girl asked, as she quirked up an eyebrow. Her question was an actual concern, she often spoke to Jane about her crush on Lyle, since it seemed Stella hated the bloke, Jane felt she could talk tot he green-eyed girl about her feelings and problems. Thus, Rema knew about her friends feelings and how excited she should have been about the date.

The emerald-eyed boy tried to keep the blush that was threatening to rise, "I don't think she actually wants to go out with me, to be honest." Then Lyle turned to look at Stella, to confirm whether his statement was true or not.

Stella shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. I brought up your date earlier when we were in our room and she couldn't change the topic fast enough," the Black girl examined her nails, with her usual air of nonchalance. Not daring to look up for fear of meeting Lyle's, nor Marlo's, eyes. Remembering that it was her idea to keep a secret what Jane's actual problem was.

Rema, ever the peacekeeper, intervened. "I'm sure she wants to go with you. If she wanted to avoid Burbage, she could have just gotten herself into detention. Saved herself a lot of trouble, and gossip," she reasoned.

Petra, who was now eating a crumpet that she had seemingly made appear from thin air, started talking with her mouth full. "Nah, she wanted to get you a birthday present," almost immediately Petra covered her mouth, realizing what she had just said. She cursed herself, that had been one of the few secrets Jane had told her, and Petra had vowed to keep it a secret.

"Well, there's the rat out of the bag, thanks, Wormtail," Stella said, perched on Marlo's lap, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Don't you mean cat?" asked the blonde bloke. Half the time he could not decipher what the Mauradettes talked about he had chalked it up to just the girls, but the more they spoke in code, the more he was convinced they were talking about other things.

"No, I said rat, I meant rat," Stella said haughtily. Petra blushed, knowing the dig was directed at her. Honestly, the boys need to stop assuming they knew what she was talking about, it would save themselves a lot of headaches.

The Black girl gave a long suffering sigh, "I guess this means we won't be spying on Jane's date." Her pout was evident to all in attendance, although her motives were not.

The remark irritated Lyle, "Is that seriously your plan? You were going to legitimately spy on us?" he asked the Mauradettes.

"I will not apologize for wanting to make sure my friend is safe during her 'date' with you," Stella said scathingly.

"Come on Star, you've known Lyle about 6 years. It's not like he's some middle aged creep Jane just met, and is preying on," Marlo said, nudging the Black Heiress, who just huffed in response. He was honestly just trying to humour his girlfriend, it had obviously been a very emotional day for her, and he found that cooperation was always better than fighting her.

"Talk about colorful imagery, is that how you actually see your friend as, Marlo?" Rema enquired, raising an eyebrow. She was only teasing Marlo, after all, even she could have fun every once in a while, especially at the boy's cost.

Stella barked out a laugh, "And everyone thinks you're the good girl!" she exclaimed, amusement clear in her voice. The Prefect rolled her eyes at her friends antics, it was true, because of her status everyone assumed she was an angelic pupil. _Little they know, little they see_ her favourite quote flew through her head, which she found to be incredibly fitting for the moment.

"I am the god girl, at least compared to the lot of you. However, I want to go thank Jane for last night, did she say where she left her notes?" Rema enquired, she found it weird that Jane didn't have her noted with her, usually, she kept everything in her schoolbag.

Their companions all furrowed their eyebrows in concentration, trying to remember. It was Lyle who spoke up first.

"She said she needed her Herbology notes, and that she was going to get them, but she never mentioned where she was going," when he spoke the others realized what he said was true, the realization dawning across their faces. Some, like Stella and Rema, changed from confused to worry; others, such as Lyle and Marlo shrugged, not caring entirely about where Jane was, she would turn up, she always did.

However it was Petra who remained confused, her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, and lips pursed. "But… I have her notes for Herbology, she lent them to me two days ago." At least Petra was pretty sure she had, the notes were probably still in a mess under her bed.

"You mean Jane actually takes notes? She actually pays attention in class?" Lyle snarked, unknowingly offending the Mauradettes. He never saw her take notes, he assumed she was just smart enough to remember anything, although he never saw her pay attention in class either. To be honest he had no idea how Jane achieved her grades, and he had a feeling he did not want to know, for fear of jealousy.

Surprisingly enough it was Rema, and not Stella, who stalked away from the conversation, and into their dormitory. She found the Map in the drawer next to Jane's bed, and quickly scanned it, trying to find her friend.

Meanwhile, the other girls preferred to just ignore Lyle, or to make him uncomfortable, which for Stella meant she had started snogging Marlo right then and there.

It had been only moments ago that Rema had left, when suddenly she came back in, interrupting Stella and Marlo.

"We've got to go," said the wolf girl, pulling Stella from Marlo's lap, causing her to nearly crash onto the floor. The protest that was on the tip of Marlo's lips died once he saw the frantic look in Rema's eyes.

Stella however, was not at all happy with the occurrence, and quickly snatched her arm back, "What the hell Rema?" she asked, all eloquence gone, she was not happy with her friend.

Rema then looked her friend straight in the eye and said, "Code forest green." Petra's head turned so fast Marlo was surprised she didn't get whiplash.

Lyle noticed Stella freeze, and her eyes widened considerably, "Let's go," was all the Black girl said.

The girls dashed out of the room, nearly knocking Alistair and Francesca, his girlfriend, over on their way out. Once the Mauradettes were out of the portrait hole, the couple approached the pair of dumbfounded boys.

"Where are they off to in such a hurry?" Asked Frankie, taking Petra's seat.

"Gone to find Jane," said the emerald-eyed boy, shrugging.

"That reminds me, I heard you finally gave in on you, did you?" Alis asked, laughing.

"You don't want to know, trust me," Marlo said, knowing Jane was not the best topic to discuss around Lyle, at the moment.

"Well, it's a good thing they went after Jane. Alis and I saw her going into the forbidden forest," the Longbottom girl informed the group. The two boys turned to look at her, and then at each other.

"Blimey, what kind of girls are we involved with?" Marlo asked, his eyes widening almost comically.

"Honestly, mate? I have no idea," Lyle said. Letting his head fall back against the couch with a sigh.


	5. CHAPTER 4

The group of girls was near the edge of the Forbidden Forest when Stella stopped them. They glanced at the forest warily, aware of all the menacing creatures that lurked in the dark, and the hazards they presented. They spent many night running through the forest, as if it were their own personal playground, but those nights they had a protector, one of the scariest monsters in the forest, on their side. The Forbidden Forest was often their fourth home, a place where their animagi could run free, and frolic through the forest, without the threat of centaurs, and acrumantalai harassing them. The forest was full of fauna, as well as flora that would not hesitate to devour 3 Gryffindor girls.

The Mauradettes might have liked pranks, jokes, and exhilarating situations, but they were above putting themselves in danger senselessly. They had a strong sense of self-preservation, and they protected each other fiercely. It was because of this protective side that the girls got into an argument.

"You, wait here. I'll find her and bring her back," Stella volunteered. She was visibly shaken, she was incredibly worried for her friend, knowing Jane wasn't in the right state of mind.

"You're not going in alone," Rema said, narrowing her eyes, hands on her hips. even when she wasn't a werewolf, she could be incredibly intimidating, her light green eyes promised a very slow, painful death, to anyone who crossed her. Rema might have been the 'good girl' but she was ferociously protective of Jane.

"We can't all go in there!" Stella said with exasperation, honestly, it was like they were being stubborn just to vex her, she swore. They were wasting time, why couldn't they see, the thought flashed through Stella's mind, her impatience making an appearance.

"Why not?" challenged the blonde. She raised her chin, rising up to the challenge, she would not let Stella tell her what to do. Rema considered it an advantage that she was only 1 inch shorter than Stella, that way her friend could not use her height to intimidate her, the way Stella did with Jane.

"It's dangerous," the Black girl said, annoyance in her voice, she just wanted to go into the forest and find Jane, why were they standing here and discussing this.

"I'm a werewolf, I'll be fine," Rema reasoned, shrugging her shoulders. She did not see a problem with all of them going into the forest, the more the merrier.

"No, you won't. Last night was the last night of the full moon, you're not the same," the Black heiress argued.

"I'll go with you!" Petra, who had been silent during the whole exchange, volunteered looking far less enthusiastic than she sounded. The Forest scared her, the only times she went in she was mouse and she could catch a ride with any of her friends, never really touching the ground.

"You'll get bloody trampled, and then I'll have to explain why we were in the forest in the first place when we will inevitably need to take you to the infirmary," Stella continued ranting.

"Why are you acting like we've never done this before? We sneak into the forest all the time!" Rema said, raising her arms in exasperation. She took a few breaths to calm down, "The longer we are out here arguing, the longer Jane is on there, alone!"

"Fine," the star girl huffed, "let's all just go, already."

Together the Mauradettes marched into the forest.

They walked in their human form, Stella had not wanted to leave Rema as the only identifiable human, and she also figured that Petra would, indeed, get trampled if she were to wander around the forest as a mouse.

So they walked together and were on their guard, wands ready to attack.

Although the Mauradettes often ventured into the forbidden forest, it was usually, (always), when Rema was in wolf mode. Walking into the forest as humans felt like they were offering themselves on a silver platter. The tension in the air was palpable, instead of her usual prowl, Stella made more careful measured steps.

The sky above them was dark, heavy with rain and thunder, however, even if there had been sunlight outside, inside the forest sunlight couldn't get through the tall, sprawling trees, making it dark, dank, and always moist.

The usual fearless -for the most part- girls, flinched at any sound, whether it be howling in the distance, hooves against the dirt, or anytime Petra stepped on a branch. The resounding crack made them all jump.

"Oh this is hopeless, we'll never find her," Petra moaned.

"It's been 5 minutes, let's give it a bit more time than that," Rema said, "Jane always was the best at hide and seek," the corner of her mouth quirked up, giving the illusion that the green-eyed girl was about to smile.

"Maybe if you two could shut up. She can probably hear us; she'll just run away before we find her." Silence quickly descended upon them, Petra was even being extra careful not to step on any branches.

The pranksters had been walking for a while, when they stumbled upon a clearing, which seemed to form a perfect circle. It was green, lush, full of life, and grazing in the middle of the pasture that coated the ground, was a doe.

The girls froze in their place, suddenly Stella took the lead, trying to be as quiet as possible, walking towards the doe. She tried to watch her footsteps, without taking her eyes off the animal. The Black girl missed her footing on a wet patch of pasture, and fell with a resounding thump.

The startled doe looked up, eyes wild, and ready to flee. However, instead of fleeing the doe cocked her head to the side, once she saw the three girls standing in front of her. The animal didn't move an inch, but becoming reasonably alarmed when the human started to approach her, although she felt that they meant no harm.

The troublemakers were speaking in soothing tones, trying to coax Jane back into her human form. They were trying to get as close as possible to Jane, without scaring Fawn.

"What are you weirdos doing?" asked a voice behind them, frightening the doe, who took off running.

Stella groaned, "Great, now how will we find her?" and turned around to find Jane standing behind the other Mauradettes, an amused smile playing on the hazel-eyed girl's lips.

"Find who?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, much like the runaway doe had just done.

"You," Rema cleared her throat, swallowing the lump that had formed at the back, "we were looking for you."

"So, you decided to chat up every doe in the forest, until you found me?" she asked, quirking up an eyebrow in amusement, on the verge of laughing right out loud.

"Well if you have a better idea, please share with us," Stella said, sassy attitude back in full, now that she knew Jane was safe.

Rema decided to intervene before this became an argument, "We just wanted to make sure you were safe," Jane's eyes softened at the admission. "And I wanted to thank you, for last night," Rema admitted.

"It was nothing Rema, don't worry about it. You know any of us would do it in a heartbeat," Jane reassured her werewolf friend.

"We thought that doe was you, you slag, now let's go. We're about to miss Herbology," Stella said, locking her arm with Jane's, and dragging her towards the castle. Rema took Jane's other arm and Petra took Stella's free one.

Together the Mauradettes arrived to Herbology class, ten minutes late, but looking much happier than they had in some time.


End file.
